Dignified
by pyrexprodigy
Summary: She's just some goth girl at the back of the class writing stupid, meaningless things in her stupid, meaningless notebook. But I love her anyway. Ia/Rei soulmate AU oneshot for Ushinatta Neko. Rated T for language, mostly.


**This is something Ushinatta Neko requested some ridiculous amount of time ago. Sorry it took so long, Neko...**

**All pretentious quotes come from the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. I do not own them, and I highly suggest you check out the podcast!**

* * *

It starts that day Rei sits at the desk near the back in his second period class. He's not happy that day; it's cold out, rain pelting the windows like Zeus has a personal vendetta against sand and sand byproducts. He's getting sick, but it's that in-between stage of being sick where he's uncomfortable enough to be miserable but not technically ill enough to stay home.

But at the back of the class, he's nothing. He isn't sick or miserable. He's not going to be called on. He can just sit there and pretend to care until the end of the day, at which point he will go home and pretend to care long enough to get his mom off his back before trudging up to his room and falling asleep.

He doodles on the desktop (like the goddamn rebel he is, Rei thinks ironically) and his pencil catches in the scars left by countless other pencils and pens. The owners are probably long gone, along with those pencils.

When he leaves, he doesn't notice it's his soul mark he's scribbled on the surface.

The next day, when Rei slides his bag from his shoulder and slumps in his chair as the class clamors to start, it's still that pattern there. But it's accompanied by a little doodle; a small chibi girl with long hair, a speech bubble next to her head.

YOU DRAW REALLY WELL.

He recognizes the handwriting, but can't quite place it. He's pleased at the compliment, despite his confusion. Well, rebels should band together, he guesses.

He finds himself drawing careful fingers over the marks of the words. He should probably erase all of this, hide the evidence and avoid getting suspended for something as stupid as drawing on a damn desk. But instead of doing that, which is the only reasonable answer, Rei scrawls in his own messy writing a response.

THANKS.

* * *

"You look like you have things on your mind," Len comments as the two of them walk home together. Well, to Len's home. Rei doesn't live close enough to walk, and Rei's sister is the only one in his family with her liscense. He isn't sure when she'll feel like picking him up, but it'll likely not be right after school.

"Then again, you always look like that," Len tells him before he has a chance to say much of anything. He rolls his eyes because isn't this just typical? Len's going to start talking a streak if he doesn't interrupt first.

"I guess," is the only response Rei really has.

Len scoffs. "Mister Kagene, I speak the truth. If you keep that pensive look on your face, it'll stick that way. You won't pick up chicks with an expression like that."

"Yes, because that's my ultimate goal in life," Rei replies with sarcasm laced in his words like vodka in a housewife's coffee. Or maybe it's nothing like that and he just wanted to use that metaphor. Screw it.

"Ha, whatever. You know you're always checking out the cute girls," Len says.

Rei honestly has no idea where his idiot friends gets these ideas. "Not everything happens to be about females, Len."

There's an air of drama involved when he stops almost comically and turns to look at you with wide eyes. "Really?" he asks, like he's a small child discovering Santa does not, in fact, exist. "But… Girls!"

Rei pats him on the shoulder. "I'm sure they appreciate the sentiment," he sympathetically says.

Len gives him a kicked puppy look and drags Rei along the sidewalk again to get them going. "But seriously, that was your 'I am thinking about important things' face. Did you… you know?"

"I do not know, Len. Despite rumors of a rather nasty nature, I am not a mind-reader," Rei states.

"That's your fault for being silent and creepy, bro," Len says. "You know what I mean, though! Did you mind your match?"

Rei's actually surprised to hear this. "What? No. I'm just… preoccupied. School stuff."

"Alright. But you can tell me anything, you know?"

He does know.

But that doesn't mean he will.

(God, he's such a shitty friend.)

* * *

DREAM BIG. DREAM LOOMING. DREAM A FORCE THAT IS SO BEYOND YOU IN SCALE THAT YOU MISTAKE IT FOR THE WORLD.

This is where Rei remembers the handwriting from. In the third bathroom stall in the hallway of your first period class, this quote is carved. It doesn't look like pencil. Most likely, a paperclip was the chosen implement for this vandalism.

When he recognizes the handwriting, he does a double-take. Rei was sure the person who wrote on his desk was a girl, but this is in the boy's bathroom… Either he's mistaken, or she's a lot more of a rebel than him.

And in the classroom, another message waits for him with that same handwriting. It's becoming a comfort; familiar and friendly. He almost wants to know who it is writing these things, but the air of mystery is nice as well. He's never been good with people, and she - he, they, whatever - complimented him. Not to his face, of course, but…

His thoughts were simply too scattered, he decided. This nonsense about meeting whoever this was meant nothing. It's not as though this were a movie; they wouldn't become the best of friends and bond through teen angst and poetry.

That being said, he wasn't sure if he found this person poetic or pretentious. It could very well be either, but he'd have to meet them to know for sure…

The message today is ARE YOU IN THE ART CLASS HERE? There's an emoticon of a cat drawn carefully next to the message. It's okay, he thinks, but drawing is not this person's strong suit. The chibi from before was alright, maybe.

NO is all he writes for the day, not knowing what else can be said.

* * *

OH. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE BECAUSE OF YOUR ART SKILLS…

* * *

I'M NOT. I GUESS I'M JUST NOT INTERESTED.

There's a missing question mark at the end, showing how entirely unsure he is about this statement.

* * *

WELL, I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GOOD! A PROPER TEACHER COULD HELP YOU GO AMAZING PLACES.

* * *

IF YOU SAY SO.

* * *

It isn't until March the teacher catches him. It's an instant shitstorm; she goes mad like a rabid dog, ranting about "lack of respect" and some other bull Rei doesn't care to listen to. In the end, he's standing over the desktop with a huge eraser and a vaguely disappointed feeling churning in his chest. He wants to take out his phone and take a picture of the mess that has become his desk; every message is there, and there are words crammed into every corner. There's drawing, patterns, shapes everywhere. It would be a shame to get rid of this.

He gets rid of this.

* * *

The desk remains blank.

* * *

His arms, with their geometric soulmate patterns, do not remain blank.

* * *

It's warm out again, which just means he has to think of excuses not to go out and tumble in the grass with Len and his dudebro friends. Soccer's not his thing; nothing that requires more hand-eye coordination than clicking a computer mouse button is, really. Len's okay with that.

But it's during this time it's getting too hot for long sleeves again. In t-shirts and jeans, Rei walks his school hallway, darting from class to class with the thought of summer vacation preserving his last bits of sanity.

There's a thump as he's thinking about this, and it takes him a moment to realize it's because of him. The thump is, of course, the result of a heavy notebook hitting the floor of the school hallway, along with a spread of papers and _Jesus Christ was this girl carrying a laptop?_

Rei is too busy feeling like an idiot to recognize the cliche in the situation. Instead, he bends down next to the girl he's run into, scooping papers together and hoping that he hasn't subsequently broken her laptop because Lord knows he cannot afford to replace it-

There's a cold, small hand on his arm. The nails are black with red details; tiny and impressive, even to a guy like Rei who couldn't care less about shit like that.

"What is it?" Rei asks. The girl, a pretty strawberry blonde with dark makeup smudged around her eyes, doesn't retract her hand, but her grip loosens as though she's just realized she grabbed a complete stranger.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry." Her voice isn't a whisper or a croak or a song, but it's soft and almost weak. Rei can't imagine anyone with such a voice, but here she is.

"Oh. I guess I thought…" Rei doesn't know what he thought. "Never mind."

The girl seemed to know what he meant, rolling up her sleeve as the two of them kneeled in the middle of the hallway, her papers and notebook stacked between tem.

"My mark is different, if that's what you were wondering."

And it is different. The triangles and squares and cubes and pyramids that paint Rei's skin are in no way reflected on her arms. Instead, there are words, scrawled in dark cursive. The words are written over one another, forming a jumble Rei can't imagine anyone attempting to read. But some things are legible, including a phrase that runs around her wrist like a bracelet.

TIME IS WEIRD. SO IS SPACE. I HOPE OURS MATCH AGAIN SOMEDAY.

* * *

He realizes a few days later that is sounds very similar to something his fellow desk rebel would say.

* * *

And now Rei is noticing the girl everywhere. She sits in the back of his classes for a few periods, scratching things out into her notebook. He wants to know why, what is she doing, and is she who he thinks she is?

He's staring down at his own arms, feeling a numb disconnection from the things tattooed there. They've been there his whole life, shaping and reshaping and finally settling into the patterns that now cover his skin. But what is it about the words he finds so appealing?

He refuses to admit, even to himself, that it's because he wants his arms to match hers.

And being the suave idiot he is, the first thing that comes out of his mouth when he decides to approach her at the end of class is, "You're kind of pretentious."

He backpedals quickly when she gives him this look that makes him feel like a bug. But somehow he knows she really couldn't give less of a shit what he thinks; and what does it matter if she's pretentious, anyway? She was born with words already etched into her, words she controls despite them controlling her. Rei wonders what else she has written there.

"I mean, it sounds pretentious. What you write. Not that it matters, and I think it's kind of cool, but-"

She lifts up her notebook and gently smacks him in the mouth with it.

Rei is stunned. Just what the actual hell?

"You talk more than necessary," she tells him. Before now, he's never been told that. "And I don't think you know the definition of pretentious."

She smirks at him. She's a small girl, with black-lined eyes and a tired, pale face. But that smirk makes Rei want to wilt and never dare talk to her again.

The cliche here is obvious, and it's one Rei resents. The manic-pixie-dream-girl vibe he's getting from this entire situation is sickening, but so goddamn worth it because this is not a cliche, this is real life, and he's talking to someone who has actually given him an honest to god compliment.

"But that's okay," she says. "And it's okay our marks don't match, you know. Sometimes that happens."

"What exactly are you implying?" he asks.

"Want to go out?"

It's inevitable that he says no and rushes out of the classroom.

* * *

The next day, the sky is blue and everything is so warm for March that Rei hardly knows what to do with himself. From the windows in the school, ha can tell it's kite-flying weather. The nostalgia he gets from thinking that hits him in a wave, a wave almost as powerful as the guilty he is desperately ignoring.

He really did find that girl interesting. Even if he didn't know her name, she seemed like she was worth it.

But damn, his parents would kill him if he went out a girl who wasn't his soulmate. He wasn't like Len; he didn't get a lot of girls, and he wasn't entirely confident in his feelings. If he did go out with her, it would probably end up as some huge mess. Maybe he'd really like her, and end up marrying her, and then one day he'd meet his soulmate and he'd obviously have to pick her because, well, they were literally meant to be. Even if she was a drug addict with seven kids and like twenty years older than him, he'd have to choose his soulmate. And it's not fair. But he doesn't know who it's not fair to.

The problem will never be that he doesn't like her. It will always be that he does.

"Hey, Rei. You dropped something," Len points out from next to his locker, scooping up the paper that has fluttered to the floor of the hallway. Instinctively, Rei snatches it away before Len can do anything. But he doesn't recognize the paper. It's dark grey, with a little cartoon bat in the right-hand corner, where the simple border breaks to make room for the childish illustration.

ARE WE LIVING A LIFE SAFE FROM HARM? OF COURSE NOT. WE NEVER ARE. BUT THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT QUESTION. THE QUESTION IS: ARE WE LIVING A LIFE THAT IS WORTH THE HARM?

-LOVE FROM IA PLANETES

Len peaks over his shoulder like he knows he shouldn't be looking. "Who's Ia?" he asks.

Rei shakes his head. "I've got no idea," he lies

He tucks the note into his pocket and doesn't notice as that very girl darts around the corner, sighing in relief. Why, of course, remains a mystery.

Len can sense his friend doesn't want to talk about it and chooses instead to swing and arm around his bro, tugging on his black hair. "You get weird love letters," is the only thing he says on the topic before he starts complaining about how his twin leaves her dirty socks all over the house. Rei can't help but roll his eyes and let's Len talk, the familiarity in the conversation calming him a bit.

It's lunch before he lets the issue bother him again. And it's only because Miku is there, running her fingers over her skin like she's expecting to see something new. But there's nothing, and Rei can't help but pity her. She's one of those girls who's always been worried about her mark and who will match it.

Their friend Avanna, an exchange student, reaches over and gently takes Miku's hand, stopping her from scratching at her skin, as is her habit when she starts to think too much about the whole thing.

"I wish soulmates didn't exist," Miku says.

"Do you have another crush?" Len asks around his bite of sandwich. Miku glares at him.

"What's it to you, Mister I-don't-care-who-my-soulmate-is?" she replies coolly. "You know not all of us can be as comfortable as you are with other people."

"Woah, Miku. It was just a question. If you're sad about it, I'm genuinely worried," Len defensively says.

"It's none of your business," Miku states, rolling down her sleeve back over her arm. She covers up up the barcode-like pattern there like she's erasing it, not simply hiding it.

Len gives Rei a look that clearly says _She has a new crush._ It's probably the case. Miku's the type of person who constantly craves companionship, but with their upbringing… Well, she'd just have to wait until she met her soulmate. And she'd better hope her soulmate was a guy, because otherwise her parents would flip their shit.

Rei thinks that, compared to Miku, he's got it really easy. He knows what's right and what's wrong, and he's going to stick to his decision, even though that note is burning a hole in his pocket like the bitch it is.

Len nudges him, and it takes Rei a moment to notice it.

"You okay?" his friend asks, leaning in close to avoid the others poking in on the conversation.

"Yeah. I'm good," Rei reassures in a whisper. Len pats his back affectionately before changing the conversation, making a point of trying to include Miku. Maybe it's his version of a peace-offering.

Just like he does in class, Rei tunes out and lets himself pretend he doesn't exist for a little while.

* * *

The next day, an envelope is taped to the front of his locker.

I WANT YOU TO BE THE HAPPY MEMORIES I WILL NEVER SHAKE LOOSE, EVEN WHEN I WAKE UP SCREAMING.

-LOVE FROM IA PLANETES.

Rei won't admit that this note joins the previous one in his pocket.

* * *

It's cold that weekend, and Rei wonders if it might snow. Despite this fear that shared throughout the Kagene family, his mother and father are out, sharing the day together. They're gone before he wakes up, and he barely catches his younger sister before she's gone.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

She pauses in pulling on her gloves. "It's a secret," Rui says. Rei rolls his eyes. As if she actually has secrets, especially from him.

"Sure, whatever," he brushes off her response. But she doesn't leave like he thought she would.

"But I'll tell you if you ask nicely," she throws him a wink that Rei thinks is entirely too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

Rei gives her a look to show his lack of amusement, "If I wanted to know, I'd push the subject," he says, and he has to admit his tone is cold. He's just not in the mood for whatever his sister seems to be planning. And trust him, she's planning something.

"Well, I want to tell you, big brother," she grins like a cat, and he notices that she looks rather nice today. She's wearing less eyeliner than usual, and her hair is curled nicely. Even her clothes are nice; tights without rips, small, new boots, and… A plaid skirt. He didn't even know she owned a plaid skirt.

"Don't call me that. It makes me nervous," he snaps back. "And it sounds like a bad anime."

Rui makes a noise somewhere between a sigh and a snort of laughter. "Don't be so moody and let me share my life's story with you, you shithead," she says.

Rei crosses his arms, shifting his weight to his left side. It's obvious that he's paying attention now.

They aren't the closest of siblings, but they get along. Occasionally, they're bound together by mutual annoyance, usually caused by their parents. Rei supposes he likes Rui, and while he wouldn't say it out loud, he does trust her when it comes to family matters. If he got a girlfriend, he'd probably tell Rui before he told his parents.

"I've got a date," she says plaintively.

"So…"

"It's not my soulmate," Rui is quick to correct. "But he's nice, and his soulmate… well, she's already out of the picture, so there's no harm from his end."

"But-"

She holds up a hand and pats him on the forehead to shut him up. Honestly, the hand would have been enough to stop him from talking.

"I know, Mom and Dad wouldn't like it. But it's only one date; maybe nothing will happen. But he's so nice and my shitty soulmate has yet to show up," she says, "so it's too bad for them."

Rei shakes his head. "That's a stupid thing to do. You're supposed to wait."

Rui makes that half-laugh, half-sigh sound again. He's never heard another human make that sound before; maybe it's Rui's pokemon noise or something.

"Says who?" Rui asks, tightening her scarf around her throat. "He's going to be alone for the rest of his life according to the soulmate rules. And it isn't fair for me to wait for someone who might turn out to be a drug addict or a rapist or something horrible. I'm going to go for it, and you can't talk me out of it. I just wanted to tell… someone, I guess."

"Don't you have friends for this very reason?"

"Yeah, sure. Mikuo is a perfect option. That would go great."

Rei has to admit, that's a pretty terrible option. Miku's brother is just as strict when it comes to the "soulmate rules," as Rui so accurately put it.

"Okay, no need to be sassy about it," Rei mutters.

"There is always need for sass."

Rei leans in to take a look at his sister a bit closer. Her cheeks are flushed, and despite the conversation that's currently happening, she seems to have a happy note in her voice. Or maybe it's excitement, he doesn't know.

"I feel sorry for this guy already," he says. "Have fun."

"Thanks," she replied with a wave. But the sentiment isn't missed. Rei approves, and for some reason that pleases Rui. Huh.

And now, thanks to his dear sister, he's got even more on his mind.

/

* * *

**Search for:** _**Can you fall for someone who isn't your soulmate?**_

**Search for: **_**Historical figures not married to their soulmates**_

**Search for: **_**Is it wrong to date someone who isn't your soulmate?**_

**Search for: **_**Laws against dating someone who isn't your soulmate**_

**Search for: **_**How to tell my parents I like someone who isn't my soulmate**_

**Search for: **_**Why am I such an idiot?**_

* * *

Admittedly, that last search term is more of a way to release some pent-up stress than anything else. He doesn't expect to find any answers.

With a sigh, Rei settles his forehead on his desk, the cool wood soothing against his skin. His sister has yet to return from her blasphemous date with mystery boy, and since her departure… Well, not much had actually happened. In all honesty, he had probably just wasted the past hour thinking about this whole situation. He had already made up his mind; he would not date, interact, or form a relationship of any sort with this Ia person, which was completely reasonable. He didn't even know her.

He didn't know her.

He shouldn't be interested.

He is an idiot.

* * *

MAY YOU FIND LOVE. MAY YOU FIND IT WHEREVER IT'S BEEN HIDDEN. MAY YOU FIND WHO HAS BEEN HIDING IT AND EXACT REVENGE UPON THEM.

-LOVE FROM IA PLANETES

Rei knows who it's from by now.

* * *

The last straw is on Thursday, almost a week after Rui's date and after days of quotes from a meaningless girl's arms filling his locker. There's Miku, moping in the hallway with her hand on her wrist like it's on fire. There's Rui, giggling with a boy at her locker, her hand in his behind their backs. And then, there's Len, an arm slung over the back of some new girl Rei's seen around school before. She's introduced as SeeU, and Len makes some love-at-first-sight joke because of her name. She giggles like a child and flutters long, pretty eyelashes at him. This behavior is expected from Len, who is as frivolous in love as he is with everything else (Rei doesn't acknowledge how good of a friend Len has always been, but maybe that's because he doesn't care much anyway). Len, who's hanging on a girl who will one day meet her soulmate. Len, who will break up with SeeU in a week's time. Len, who ignores Miku's look of disgust and Rei's annoyance and continues to act like love can be treated like a goddamn candy wrapper; useful to contain _something, _but not worth tossing in the bin. Len is a litterer, and Rei refuses to be like him.

Thus, Rei finds himself ignoring Len for the rest of the day. It's because of people like Len that he can't… He can't what?

Rei realizes he's finally had enough when he catches this Ia girl in front of his locker during class. He's darted out of the room to visit the bathroom, but this is immediately forgotten as he sees a familiar strawberry blonde at his locker. Maybe it's because of that whole shitty day, but in an instant he sees red. He's next to her then, arm at her wrist and shaking her angrily. Maybe it's her lack of reaction that continues to piss him off, but Rei feels something rise in his chest, wanting to swallow this reality whole.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hisses from between clenched teeth.

She gives him a bland look. "Ow," she says in an obvious tone.

Rei brings her wrist in front of her face, pulling his own sleeve down. "Look," he spits, his face so close to hers he can see flecks of dark blue in her eyes. "We don't match. We aren't soulmates. So just _stop._"

She reaches up with her free hand, and Rei thinks she'll try to pull herself free. Instead, she yanks her sleeve down further, revealing more words traced upon her skin. In a toneless voice, she begins to read, her finger tapping the line she speaks to him.

"_Worry less about the person you once were., or the person you dream you someday will be. Worry about the person you are now - or don't even worry. Just be that person. Be the best version of that person you can be,_" she tells him. She isn't looking at her arm; maybe she has every word memorized by now. Her voice is surprisingly loud, and Rei notices she is not staring at him with nothing in her eyes. She has a fierce light, daring him to reply. Daring him to deny their connection.

"You should worry less about your future, and worry more about your current happiness," Ia says. "I've learned you worry a lot, Rei."

"You know nothing," he mutters, his grip on her wrist slack. She hasn't pulled away though. "And I want to keep it that way."

"Okay. You can know about me, then," she says.

"I don't want to know about you."

"You're a liar, Rei."

She's pulling her wrist away, he can feel it. And he lets her, because he expects her to leave right then and there. Instead, he feels fingers push between his gently. Looking down, black nails presh into the skin on the back of his hands. It's Ia's hand in his, her wrist still red from where he yanked on her arm.

"I forgive you," Ia says. "But don't do it again."

"There won't be an again," Rei says. He means that he will never again come near her, so she shouldn't worry, but Ia seems to take it another way.

"I hope so."

Rei tears his hand away from her, taking a step back. "You don't get it," he snaps. "It's not right. We have soulmates waiting for us."

Ia shrugs. "Maybe. We'll deal with that when we get to it."

Rei doesn't respond.

"You're stuck in the seventeenth century, Rei," Ia says. "I don't know what it's like to be stuck to traditions since I haven't been raised that way, but I can help you get out of that. It's okay to be in love with someone who isn't your soulmate, and it's okay to date someone who doesn't share the same mark on their skin."

"I don't love you."

"I know." Ia is giving him his space, still back by his locker instead of right up next to him. The ghost of her hand is still imprinted on his skin. It's a chill he doesn't think will go away soon. "Can I ask you something, Rei?'

"What?" he asks, against his better nature.

"What do you think of same sex couples? Shouldn't they be allowed to be together, even if millions of people say otherwise? Even if, in the past, they've been killed for loving each other?"

"Yes. If they're soulmates."

Ia's face is stony as she replies, "But sometimes even if they are soulmates, people hate them. That isn't fair. Love is love. And it's the same with people who aren't soulmates. They want to be together, and they aren't hurting anyone. On a case by case basis, consenting adults should be allowed to love whoever they want."

"You've put too much thought into this," Rei says for lack of anything better to say.

"Maybe you just didn't think about about it," Ia states. "Here. I wrote my phone number down. Call me if you want to talk about being happy instead of making others happy."

Rei is a mix of relieved and discomforted when she leaves without a final glance or a brush of the hand against his.

Rei can still feel her skin against his and it's that thought that leaves him standing in the hallway silently as classes around him continue, his own History period forgotten.

* * *

_**dude whyd you leave in the middle of class? -len**_

**No reason. dont worry. -Rei**

_**pshh im always worried about you - len**_

**Well don't. Worry about yourself. -Rei**

**Better yet, just leave me alone. -Rei**

_**rei? -len**_

_**bro what happened? -len**_

_**what did i do now? -len**_

_**bro? -len**_

_**okay fine. be that way. -len**_

_**let me know when you want to be mature again and we can talk about this. -len**_

* * *

**Are you mad at Len? -Miku**

**Wow its great to know you care so much. -Rei**

**Don't be a dick, Rei. -Miku**

**Thats at least half my personality. -Rei**

**Well he genuinely seems pretty sad. He thinks it's because he got together with SeeU - Miku**

**If you liked her you should have told him. -Miku**

**Even if you aren't soulmates. -Miku**

**Wow miku thats big of you - Rei**

**You are pretty much a nun when it comes to soulmate stuff. -Rei**

**Well I don't approve -Miku**

**But if it would make you happy… -Miku**

**But that doesn't mean I'm not going to wait. -Miku**

**So its okay if other people don't follow the rules? That isnt very fair. -Rei**

**It's just how I feel. -Miku**

**I get it. -Rei**

**Do you? -Miku**

**Yeah. -Rei**

**Oh. -Miku**

* * *

"Hey, Ia. It's.. It's Rei."

"_Hello, Rei."_

"Hi."

"_How are you?"_

"Tired, I guess. You?"

"_Bored. Just doing homework."_

"Ah. What class?"

"_Just chemistry."_

"Cool."

"_Not really."_

"..."

"_So what's up?"_

"Nothing. I just…"

"_Yes?"_

"I wanted to apologize. For grabbing your arm. That was unacceptable."

"_Thank you for your apology, Rei. But please don't do something like that again."_

"I won't."

"_So from your answer can I assume we will be spending time in each other's company in the future?"_

"I'd like that."

"_I would too."_

"Why, though?"

"_Why what?"_

"I haven't been nice to you."

"_You still haven't clarified."_

"I mean… You like guys like me? Ones who manhandle girls?"

"_At least you're self-aware."_

"And you still haven't answered."

"_I think people are capable of anything under stress."_

"So that's a good excuse then?"

"_No. But I'll give you a chance, Rei. If anything has come from my soulmark, it's an interesting sort of wisdom that's taught me to accept things like this."_

"I think it's a pretentious sort of wisdom."

"_I think you don't know what pretentious means."_

"Thanks."

"_Don't mention it."_

"..."

"_Did you just hold the phone away from you mouth so I wouldn't hear you laughing?"_

"...Maybe."

* * *

It's a warm March day, and Rei thinks that he will probably be okay from now on.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Review if that's your thing; if not, see you later!**


End file.
